Luton have signed defensive midfielder Tom Krauß on a season-long loan from German Bundesliga side Mainz, with boss Rob Edwards saying he’s “hungry to find a home”.
The 23-year-old moved from his hometown team RB Leipzig last summer, but has not featured this season for Mainz.
But despite his young age he’s played 61 times in the German top flight in the previous two seasons for Schalke (on loan) and Mainz.
The move to Luton will be subject to international clearance and work permit approval and the German Under-21 international won’t feature this weekend at Preston due to an injury but he further strengthens a midfield that has seen the Hatters sign Shandon Baptiste and Liam Walsh already this summer.
Town boss Edwards told the club’s website: “Once we knew there was an opportunity and an interest, we undertook a lot of work to look at Tom – and he’s shown he’s a player that suits Luton Town really, really well.
“He’s 23 but has a wealth of experience in the Bundesliga and is an under-21 international. He’s young but he’s hungry to find a home again. He’s at an age where he’s still got lots of room for growth.
“What we like about Tom is that he’s aggressive, full of running, wants to press, wants to play and wants to recover the ball quickly.
“We won’t get to see Tom straight away – he’s recovering having picked up a slight knock while in training with Mainz recently – but what’s been brilliant for us is how keen he is to join – he’s the one pushing it, he wants to play for us.
“That speaks volumes; how far we’ve come and our level of ambition, to take a player with so much experience of the German top-flight.”
Krauß told LTFC+: “I’m really excited to take my first step outside of Germany and I’m ready for my next chapter here at Luton.
“I like English football and English fans, and that’s why I’m here and I can’t wait. I can’t wait to play my first minutes in front of the supporters. I’ve seen the last two games and the fans in England are crazy, and I’m like that as a player.
“For me, the fans are what football is all about. They are important for clubs and for the players, so I like to speak with them and celebrate with them during games.
“It’s a different style of football compared to Germany but I’ve had a lot of experience in the first and second leagues, playing 130 games or so in four years – lots of games against Bayern Munich – and that’s helped me.”
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